Car top tent

ABSTRACT

A tent structure having folding tubular supports which, when collapsed, are contained within a carrier member along with the tent fabric. The supports are unfolded to an erected condition exterior of the container to provide a tent of considerably greater size than the carrier member. The carrier member serves as a top for the mid portion of the tent and the entire structure, when folded into its collapsed condition can be mounted on the roof of a car for transporting. When erected, the tent stands free of the car so that the latter can be driven about without the tent.

Unite States Patent 11 1 1111 3,845,775

Norris et al. I [45] N 5, 1974 I CAR TOP TENT 3,599,651 8/l97l Perry135/1 A [75] Inventors: Paul IR. Norris, Stone Mount $730,196 5/1973Borskey 135 5V Frank Van Haitern, Jr., Atla t FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS David Stone u ta a 513,613 6/1955 Canada 135 4 A of Ga.

73 A 3 Co N a Primary Examiner-J. Karl Bell sslgnee 52 mom on CW dvcnAttorney, Agent, or FirmDonald R. Motsko; H. 2] H d J 7 1973 SamuelKieser; William W. Jones 1 c une [Z1] Appl No.: 367,907 ABSTRACT A tentstructure having folding tubular supports [52] US Cl n 135/1 A 135/4 A135/7 1 A which, when collapsed, are contained within a carrier memberalong with the tent fabric. The supports are [51] Km CL v I I l A45f1/16 unfolded to an erected condition exterior of the con- {581 Field 0fA tainer to provide a tent of considerably greater size 296/23 24/42than the carrier member. The carrier member serves as a top for the midportion of the tent and the entire 56] References Cited structure, whenfolded into its collapsed condition can be mounted on the roof of a carfor transporting. UNITED STATES PATENTS When erected, the tent standsfree of the car so that 3,186,419 6/1965 McCarrOll l35/1 A h latter canb d i about ith t th t 3,228,405 l/l966 Bursey et al. 135/1 A 3,596,9778/1971 Bunger t. 296/27 12 Claims, I3 Drawing Figures can "roe TENT Thisinvention relates to a shelter in the form of a tent structure which canbe folded into a collapsed condition which takes up a minimum amount ofspace and which may be transported on the roof of an automobile. Thetent structure can, when desired, be unfolded into an erected conditionso as to stand on the ground free and clear of the automobile so thatthe latter can be driven about with no problem.

Tent structures which can be stored in a compact condition and securedto the roof of a car for transportation are generally known in the priorart. Such tents fall into two general catagories, those which whenerected remain secured to the car so that the latter forms a part of thetent and cannot be driven after the tent is set up, and those which areerected separately from the car so that the latter can be freely drivenafter the tent is set up. Patents disclosing tents of the second generalcategory include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,010,462, issued Nov. 28, 1961 toCharles C. Barber; 3,254,657, issued June 7, 1966 to Raymond Reger;3,255,768, issued June 14, 1966 to Lyall L. Lowe; 3,289,684, issued Dec.6, 1966 to Lyall L. Lowe; 3,368,574, issued Feb. 13, 1968 to Louise J.Yates et al.; 3,431,922, issued Mar. 11, 1969 to William R. Kilbride;3,628,825, is-

sued Dec. 21, 1971 to Mitchell Hannoosh; 3,649,063, issued Mar. 14, 1972to Turner Stark; and 3,655,077, issued Apr. 11, 1972 to Lyall Lowe. [tis to the latter general category of tents that the tent of thisinvention belongs.

The car top tents of the prior art which are transported on the roof ofthe car and erected free of connection to or dependence upon the car areconventionally stored in a rigid housing member of plastic, fiberglass,or the like. When the tent is erected, the housing member usually formsa part of or all of the roof portion of the tent. Since the housing mustreadily fit on the roof of the automobile for transporting, the size ofthe housing is somewhat limited. For example, the housing can be aboutnine feet long and five feet wide, but cannot be much larger and stillfit safely on the car roof. Since the housing serves as the roof of theerected tent, the tent itself is thereby limited as to size, and can notaccommodate more than three or four persons at the most.

Various solutions have been offered toward enlarging the size of thistype of tent, such as sloping the side walls of the tent outwardly fromthe side edges of the roof-housing when the tent is erected; andproviding a housing which consists of two components of about the samesize which are hinged together like a clamshell, and which open into aroof structure of about twice the size of the conventional housing.These solutions have somewhat relieved the crowded condition of the tentinterior, but have not readily increased its occupancy capacity.

The tent structure of this invention contemplates the use of a rigidhousing member which can be mounted on the top of an automobile fortransport and which is erected free of attachment to the auto. Tubulartent supporting members are stored within the housing member along withthe tent fabric when the tent is in its compact or storage condition.The tubular members are designed to be pulled out laterally of thehousing member while the structure is on the roof of the auto andpreparatory to erecting the tent. This provides a first lateralextension in opposite directions of the roof area of the tent, whenerected. The tubular members are then sequentially lowered to the groundfrom their laterally extended positions, the lowered members serving tosupport the tent on the ground, and being of sufficient length that,when lowered to the ground, they serve to displace the housing memberupwardly away from and free of the roof of the car. After the loweredmembers are properly positioned on the ground, the car can be driven outfrom under the tent. Others of the tubular members, which are secured tothe lowered members, are swung laterally further out from the loweredmembers and housing to further laterally expand the size of the tent.The other swung members are secured to the tent fabric and pull thelatter outwardly away from the housing. The fabric is then staked to theground and secured to the tubular members, which form external supportsfor the tent. By using this form of tubular support structure, a tent ofabout 9 feet by 19 feet can be erected from a housing which is about 9feet by 5 feet. The roof of the tent can be positioned about 7 feet fromthe ground at its central portion formed by the housing, and the tentcan readily accommodate six to eight people comfortably.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a camping tentstructure which can be stored in a relatively compact form and erectedinto a tent having considerable living area.

It is another object of this invention to provide a tent structure ofthe character described which can be transported in its stored conditionon the roof of an automobile and erected from the auto roof free ofconnection to the auto.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a tent structureof the character described which includes a rigid housing member inwhich the tent structure is stored and which forms a portion of the roofof the erected tent.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a tent structure ofthe character described having folding tubular support members which canbe folded into a compact storage configuration and expanded into anenlarged erected configuration.

These and other objects and advantages of the tent structure of thisinvention will become more readily ap' parent from the followingdetailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side fragmented elevational view of a pre-,

ferred embodiment of the tent structure of this invention shown mountedon the roof rack of a station wagon;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the auto roof rack, mount baseand tent structure-containing pod of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmented vertical sectional view taken through the mountbase and pod showing the manner in which the tent tubular supports orpoles are hinged and contained within the pod for transport or storage;

FIG. 4 is a fragmented perspective view of the tent structure showinghow the folded stored supports are exposed preparatory to erecting thetent;

FIG. 5 is a fragmented perspective view similar to FIG. 4 but showingthe still folded supports as they appear when pulled out of the pod asthe tent is being erected;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken through the guide member secured to thepod showing how the laterally slidable support is prevented from exitingthe guide when pulled out to the position shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a fragmented perspective view similar to FIG. 5, but showinghow the vertical support poles are pivoted down to contact the ground sothat the pod will be suspended on the vertical poles about the groundand the car can be driven out from under the pod;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken through the lower portion of thevertical poles showing how their length may be increased by the use oftelescoping inserts to further elevate the roof of the tent above theground;

FIG. 9 is a fragmented perspective view similar to FIG. 7, but showinghow further lateral pole members are pivoted outwardly away from thevertical poles to further increase the size of the tent, the tent fabricitself being shown in phantom;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the tent structure as it appears whenfully erected;

FIG. II is a bottom plan view of the auto roof rack and pod-supportingbase showing the structure by which the base is secured to the roofrack, the structure being shown in its release condition;

FIG. 12 is a fragmented bottom plan view similar to FIG. llll butshowing the securing structure in its securement condition; and

FIG. I3 is an elevational view partially in section of the portion ofthe securing structure which engages the side bar of the auto roof rack.

Referring to FIG. 1, the tent structure is denoted generally by thenumeral 2 and is shown in its collapsed storage or transportingcondition. The structure 2 is shown mounted on the roof rack of astation wagon 4 for transport to the camping site.

Referring to FIG. 2, an exploded perspective view of the tent structureand auto roof rack is shown. The roof rack 6 includes a pair oflongitudinally extending side bars 8 connected to each other bylaterally extending front and rear cross braces 10 and secured to thetop of the auto by brackets 12 in a conventional manner. A winddeflector l4 of conventional construction is secured to the rear end ofthe side bars 8.

A base or module-supporting member 16 is mounted on and secured to theroof rack 6, the member 16 being formed preferably from a sheet ofplastic or fiber glass material. The member I6 is formed with a pair oflongitudinally extending downwardly opening side channels 18 whichoverlie the side bars 8 of the roof rack, and the rear face of themember 16 is recessed as at 20 to closely overlie the wind deflector 14.Thus the base overlies the auto roof rack and fits snugly against thetop of the auto presenting a low profile thereon. The member 16 is alsoprovided with a pair of upwardly opening recesses or pockets 22 thepurpose of which will be set forth in greater detail hereinafter. Thelateral side edges of the member 16 form a curved upwardly open lip 24in which there is secured a rod 26 to which is hinged a locking plate28. The plate 28 includes a flange 30 with a protruding rib 32, thepurpose of which will be set forth in greater detail hereinafter. Eachplate 28 carries a pair of lock mechanisms 34 which can pass throughopenings 36 in the member 16 for securement to metal plates (not shown)mounted on the underside of the member 16. The member 16 is formed witha central longitudinally extending downwardly open channel 38 andlaterally extending downwardly open channels 40 which house themechanism used to lock the member 16 to the roof rack. Details of thelocking mechanism will be set forth hereinafter. The member 16 alsoincludes four recesses 42 which may be used for storing blankets,sleeping bags, cooking gear and the like. Water drainage openings 44 areprovided in each recess 42. A locking mechanismoperating handle 46 isdisposed at the rear face of the member 16, the handle 46 carrying alock 48 which is securable to a metal plate (not shown) attached to theunderside of the member 16. A recess 50 is provided on the rear face ofthe member 16 to permit the handle 46 to be grasped manually.

A pod 52 of plastic, fiberglass or the like is provided to house thetent fabric and support poles. The pod 52 includes a top wall 54,downwardly sloping side walls 56, and downwardly sloping end walls 58.The rear end wall 58 is recessed as at 60 to snugly overlie the winddeflector l4, and is also recessed as at 62 to provide access to thebase handle 46. Each side wall 56 is formed with an outwardly projectingshoulder 64 for engagement with the plate flange rib 32 so that the pod52 can be secured to the base member 16. A pair of openings 66 areformed in each sidewall 56 for passage of the locks 34. A door 68 isformed in each side wall 56 and is hinged thereto along hinge line 70for upward and outward pivoting movement.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the manner in which the pod 52 is securedto'the base member 16 is shown as is the stored, folded condition of thepole members. To lock the base l6 to the pod 52, the plate 28 is pivotedupwardly'about the tube 26 until the rib 32 engages the shoulder 64 atwhich time the locks 34 engage the respective metal plates 35 which aremounted on the base 16. A pair of generally U-shaped tubular members 72(one shown) are secured to the pod 52 by means of brackets 74. A pair oflaterally extending tubes 76 (one shown) are secured to free ends ofeach of the tubes 72, the tubes 76 preferably having a squarecross-sectional configuration. The tubes 72 and 76thus serve toreinforce the pod 52 in addition to providing mounts for the tubularsupport poles of the tent. At each open end of the lateral tubes 76there are telescopingly nested laterally slidable tubular members 78(one shown). The member 78 is shown in FIG. 3 in its fully telescopedstorage condition. Each member 78 includes a generally horizontalstraight portion 80 which, when stored, is telescoped inside of the tube76. The horizontal straight portion 80 is withdrawn from the tube 76when the tent is erected, as will be set forth in greater detailhereinafter. The tubular member 78 also includes a downwardly andoutwardly extending terminal straight portion 82. which is connected tothe horizontal straight portion 88 by an intermediate curved portion 84.At the terminal part of the straight portion 82 there is disposed ahinge 84 which serves to hingedly connect the tubular member 78 to apole 86 which is disposed in the horizontal when the structure is storedand which pivots down to a generally vertical position when the tent iserected, as will be explained in greater detail hereinafter. The pole 86is also connected to one end of an eave pole 88 by means of a hinge 90,and the eave pole 88 has its other end connected to a tubular eave crossmember 92 by means of a hinge 94. The tubular cross member 92 includes alongitudinally extending straight portion 96 and terminal straightportions 98 connected to the straight portions 96 by means ofintermediate curved portions 100. As will be readily appreciated fromFIG. 3 and the following figures, the tubular tent supports 73., 86, 60and 92 are compactly folded up for storage and are positioned in thebase recess 22 behind the pod door 78 when the tent structure is storedor transported.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-10, the manner in which the tent is erected isdisclosed. To begin erecting the tent, the locks 34 are unlocked and theplates 28 are swung outwardly and downwardly away from the pod 52 todisengage the plate rib 32 from the pod shoulder 64. This frees the pod52 to be lifted upwardly free of the base member 16, which is secured tothe roof rack of the automobile (not shown). The door 68 can then bepivoted upwardly and outwardly about its hinge 70 to expose the foldedtent poles. The folded poles may be held together by a clip 102 toprevent them from accidently dropping about their respective hingesprematurely whereby the auto might be hit. The folded poles are thengrasped and pulled outwardly so as to cause the straight portions 00 ofthe tubular members 78 to slide out of the square tubes 76. This causesthe folded poles to be laterally displaced from the sides of the pod 52and from the sides of the automobile. Referring to FIG. 6, the manner inwhich the poles 78 are prevented from being pulled completely free ofthe square tubes 76 is shown. Each pole 78 has secured to the innermostend of its straight section 00 a square block 81. The corners of thesquare tube 76 are turned down as at 77 to engage the blocks 81 when thepoles 78 are fully withdrawn from the square tubes 76.

The clip 102 is then removed from the folded poles and the verticalpoles 06 and 88 are swung down about their respective hinges 84 and 94until the poles 86 touch the ground. The poles 86 are longer than thecombined height of the automobile and base member, so that when thebottom of the poles 86 touch the ground, the pod 52 will be liftedupwardly free of the base member 16. When the tent structure is erectedeach corner of the pod 52 will be independently lifted from the basemember 16 as the appropriate pole 86 is swung into proper position. Oneach of the poles 86, there is mounted a sleeve 1 which can be slid upover the hinges 04 to lock the latter in place and stabilize theunfolded poles. The terminal straight portions 82 are provided on thepoles 78 respectively to ensure that the sleeves can cover the hingessufficiently for locking purposes. The sleeves 104 are held in thelocking position by means of a bayonet slot 105 in the sleeves 104, inwhich slot 105 there is disposed a pin 107 secured to the poles 86.After the sleeve 104i is slid over the hinge 06, the sleeve 104i istwisted to position the pin 107 in the lateral portion 109 of thebayonet slot 105, as shown in FIG. 9.

Reference is made to FIG. 8 wherein there is disclosed means forelongating the effective length of the poles 86 so as to raise the pod52 higher off of the ground when the tent is finally erected. Poleinserts 87 are telescopingly housing within the poles 86 and can be slidout of the latter when the poles 86 are dropped to the ground. Theinserts 87 are provided with aligned pairs of longitudinally offsetopenings 89 for adjustment purposes should the ground on which the tentis erected be uneven. The poles 86 are also provided with a pair ofaligned openings 91. When the openings 91 are brought into alignmentwith a desired pair of insert openings, a pin 93 is passed through thealigned openings 69 and 91 to hold the insert 87 projecting from thepole 86. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that provisionother than the pin and aligned openings disclosed can be made forincreasing and adjusting the height of the tent without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, erection of the tent is continued afterthe tent is free of the car. The cave cross pole 92 is pulled outwardlyaway from the pod 52 causing the cave poles 86 to pivot outwardly aboutthe hinges 90. The cross pole 92 preferably passes through a sleeve Rstitched in the tent fabric T so that by pulling the pole 92 outwardly,the tent fabric is caused to deploy properly. Alternatively, other meansmay be used to secure the tent fabric to the cave cross pole 92. Thelower edge of the tent sidewall W is staked to the ground as at S in amanner which holds the poles 92 and in the proper position shown in FIG.10. The tent fabric T includes loops L which are tied around the poles66 and a tent flap F is provided for access to the interior of the tent.Of course, the upper portions of the tent fabric are secured to the pod52. When the tent is folded up for storage, the fabric T may betemporarily secured to the interior of the pod 62 by means of hooks andeyelets (not shown) in a known manner. The tent may include a fabricfloor which is stitched to the lower edges of the tent side walls.

The tent is folded up for storage by merely reversing the set-up stepsdescribed above.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, a preferred mechanism for securing thebase member 16 to roof rack 6 of the auto is shown from the undersideofthe base member 16. As previously noted, the base member 16 includeslongitudinally extending downwardly open side channels 18 which fit overthe side bars 8 of the roof rack 6. A central longitudinally extendingdownwardly open channel 36 is also provided in the base member 16, inwhich channel 30 is disposed aT-shaped (in cross-section) actuating rod110. The actuating rod 110 is connected to the base 16 by passingthrough brackets 112 which are riveted to the base 16. Thus theactuating rod 110 is free to slide longitudinally forwardly andrearwardly with respect to the base 16. The rod 110 is shown in FIG. 11in its rearwardmost position wherein the base 16 is not locked onto theroof rack 6. The handle 46 is mounted on the rearward end of theactuating rod 110.

A pair of openings 116 are provided on each side flange of the rod 110for pivotal connection thereto of link members 120 by means of pins 122.A plurality of levers 124 are pivotally mounted on the base 16 by meansof pins 126, the levers 124 each being provided with a U-shaped shoe126. U-shaped brackets are mounted on the base 16 about each shoe 128 toguide movement of the latter. The outer end of each link 120 ispivotally secured to a respective lever 124 by means of a pin 132. Thelinks 120 can be connected to the levers at different locations 110 soas to vary the degree of outwardly pivoting movement imparted to thelevers to adapt the device to different size roof racks. As shown inFIG. 11, the base 16 is positioned over the roof rack 6 but is notsecured thereto. To secure the base 16 to the roof rack 6, the handle 46is manually pushed forward until it enters the pod recess 62 (see FIG.2) and is flush with the rear wall of the pod 52. The lock 418 is thuscaused to engage a metal plate (not shown) secured to the underside ofthe base 16 so that the handle 46 is locked in place. The actuating rod110 is thus moved forward through the brackets 112. Forward movement ofthe rod 110 causes the links 120 to move forward resulting in pivotingof the levers 124 about their respective pins 126. The pivoting of thelevers T24 causes the U-shaped shoes 128 to be forced against and intotight engagement with the side bars 8 of the roof rack 6, thus securingthe base 16 to the roof rack 6. To release the base to from the roofrack 6, the lock 48 is disengaged from the metal plate, and the handle46 is pulled to the rear causing retraction of the actuating rod 110,links 120, levers 124 and shoes 128 to their initial positions shown inFIG. ll.

Referring now to FIG. 13, details of the shoes 128 are shown. It will benoted that the shoe 128 includes a clevis portion 129 in which ismounted a pad 134 of high friction material, such as rubber, which pad134 actually engages the side bar 8 of the roof rack. An insert memberH36 may be removably secured to one side of the clevis to permitmodification of the shoe 128 to receive a roof rack side bars of varyingthickness.

it will be readily appreciated that the tent structure of this inventionprovides a compact arrangement for transportation and storage while atthe same time providing an erected tent having considerably greaterliving area than previously found in tents transported in pods atopautomobiles and erected free of the autos. The tent is erected free ofthe auto so as to permit free use of the latter at the camp site.Provision is made for storage of the poles by hingedly connecting themtogether, the hinges being locked upon deployment so as to stabilize theerected structure.

Since many changes and variations of the disclosed embodiment of theinvention may be made without departing from the invention concept, itis not intended to limit the invention otherwise than as required by theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A tent structure comprising:

a. a first rigid portion for supporting tent fabric to form at least aportion of a roof of the tent;

b. a plurality of first poles hingedly connected to said rigid portion,said first poles being hinged for movement between a storage positionadjacent said rigid portion and an erected position wherein said firstpoles are operative to support said rigid portion above the ground; and

c. a plurality of second poles having hinge means connected to saidfirst poles whereby said second poles are mounted on said first polesfor movement between a storage position adjacent said first poles and anerected position wherein said second poles extend laterally from saidfirst poles and upwardly from said hinge means.

2. In a tent structure, a support frame comprising:

a. first tubular support means for supporting a portion of the tent;

b. second tubular support means for elevating said first support meansabove the ground;

c. hinge means for pivotally connecting said second support means tosaid first support means whereby said second support means can bepivoted from a position adjacent said first support means to a positiondepending from said first support means and return; and

d. means for selectively locking said hinge means when said secondsupport means is in said depending position to restrain said secondsupport means from pivoting away therefrom.

3. The structure of claim 2, further comprising third tubular supportmeans for supporting a portion of the tent laterally of said firstsupport means, said third support means being hingedly connected to saidsecond support means for pivotal movement between a first positionadjacent said second support means, and a sec-' ond position extendinglaterally from said second support means.

4. in a tent structure, a support frame comprising: a. first tubularsupport means for supporting a portion of the tent;

b. second tubular support means for elevating said first support meansabove the ground, one of said first and second support means including astraight terminal portion and an intermediate curved portion connectingsaid straight terminal portion to the remainder of said one supportmeans;

c. hinge means pivotally connecting said straight terminal portion ofsaid one support means with a terminal end of the other of said firstand second support means; and

d. a sleeve slidably mounted on said other of said first and secondsupport means for movement from a first position offset from said hingemeans to a second position overlying said hinge means to lock the latteragainst pivoting when said straight terminal portion of said one supportmeans and said other support means are coaxial.

5. The structure of claim 4, further comprising means for engaging saidsleeve when said sleeve is in said second position, to hold said sleevein said second position.

6. A camping shelter comprising: a. a housing member formed fromcomparatively rigid material, said housing member including a top walland downwardly depending side and end walls;

b. a plurality of support pole means pivotally carried by said housingmember for supporting said housing member in a position elevated fromthe ground, said support pole means being movable between a firststorage position within the confines of said housing member to a seconderected position wherein said support pole means are operative toelevate and support said housing member above the ground;

c. eave pole means having hinges connected to each of said support polemeans, said eave pole means being pivotable between a storage positionadjacent said support pole means and an erected position extendinglaterally from said support pole means and upwardly away from saidhinges; and

d. fabric-like tent material secured to said housing and held indeployment by said support and eave pole means whereby said housingmember and said tent material form the roof and walls of the erectedshelter.

7. The camping shelter of claim 6, wherein said support pole meanscomprises at least a first pair of poles operative, when in the erectedposition, to elevate and support at least one side wall of said housingmember above the ground, and said eave pole means comprises at least asecond pair of poles each of which is pivotally connected to arespective one of said first pair of poles.

8. The camping shelter of claim 7, wherein said eave pole means furthercomprises a third pole having one end pivotally connected to one of saidsecond pair of poles, and its other end pivotally connected to the otherof said second pair of poles.

9. A camping shelter comprising:

a. a housing member formed from comparatively rigid material andincluding a top wall and depending side and end walls;

b. tenting material connected to said housing member, said tentingmaterial being foldable into a compact storage condition containedwithin the confines of said housing member and deployable therefrom intoan erected condition providing side walls of the camping shelter;

c. a plurality of first poles for elevating and supporting said housingmember above the ground, said first poles being pivotally connected tosaid housing member for pivotal movement between a storage positionwithin the confines of said housing member and a housing-supportingposition depending downward from said housing member;

d. a plurality of eave poles for supporting a portion of said tentingmaterial forming side walls of the camping shelter, each of said eavepoles being pivotally connected to respective ones of said first polesfor pivotal movement between a storage position closely adjacent to saidfirst poles and an erected position extending laterally from said firstpoles and said housing member; and

e. a plurality of third poles, each having opposite ends pivotallyconnected to ones of a respective pair of said eave poles, each of saidthird poles being connectable to said tenting material, and each of saidthird poles being laterally movable away from said housing member whensaid eave poles are pivoted to their respective erected positionswhereby lateral movement of said third poles serves to deploy saidtenting material laterally of said housing member to expand the volumeof the shelter laterally of said housing member.

10. The camping shelter of claim 9, further comprising base meansreleasably securable to said housing member to close off the lowerportion thereof, said base means including means for releasably securingsaid base means to an automobile roof rack.

111. The camping shelter of claim 9, wherein said housing member sidewalls are provided with a door movable between a first positionsubstantially coplanar with said side walls and a second position offsetfrom said side walls to expose said poles in their respective storagepositions.

12. A camping shelter adapted to be transported on the roof of a car,said camping shelter comprising:

a. a housing member formed from comparatively rigid material, saidhousing member including a top wall and downwardly depending side andend walls;

b. sliding means carried by said housing member, said sliding meansbeing extensible to an erecting position extending laterally beyond saidhousing member side walls and the side of the car, and retractable to astorage position within the confines of said housing member;

c. a plurality of support pole means for supporting said housing memberin a position elevated from the ground and the roof of the car;

d hinge means for pivotally connecting said support pole means to saidsliding means whereby said sliding means is operable to enable saidsupport pole means to be moved from a storage position within theconfines of said housing member to an erecting position laterally beyondsaid housing member side walls and the sides of the car, and said hingemeans enabling said support pole means to be pivoted to ahousing-supporting position;

e. means engaging said hinge means to lock the latter when said supportpole means are in the housingsupporting position;

f. eave pole means comprising pairs of eave poles pivotally mounted onrespective pairs of said support poles and eave cross poles having theiropposite ends pivotally connected to ones of respective pairs ofsaid-eave poles, said pairs of eave poles being pivotable between astorage position closely adjacent to said support poles and an erectedposition extending laterally away from said support poles; and

g. fabric-like tent material secured to said housing and held indeployment by being attached at least to said eave cross poles wherebysaid housing member and said tent material form the roof and walls ofthe erected shelter.

1. A tent structure comprising: a. a first rigid portion for supportingtent fabric to form at least a portion of a roof of the tent; b. aplurality of first poles hingedly connected to said rigid portion, saidfirst poles being hinged for movement between a storage positionadjacent said rigid portion and an erected position wherein said firstpoles are operative to support said rigid portion above the ground; andc. a plurality of second poles having hinge means connected to saidfirst poles whereby said second poles are mounted on said first polesfor movement between a storage position adjacent said first poles and anerected position wherein said second poles extend laterally from saidfirst poles and upwardly from said hinge means.
 2. In a tent structure,a support frame comprising: a. first tubular support means forsupporting a portion of the tent; b. second tubular support means forelevating said first support means above the ground; c. hinge means forpivotally connecting said second support means to said first supportmeans whereby said second support means can be pivoted from a positionadjacent said first support means to a position depending from saidfirst support means and return; and d. means for selectively lockingsaid hinge means when said second support means is in said dependingposition to restrain said second support means from pivoting awaytherefrom.
 3. The structure of claim 2, further comprising third tubularsupport means for supporting a portion of the tent laterally of saidfirst support means, said third support means being hingedly connectedto said second support means for pivotal movement between a firstposition adjacent said second support means, and a second positionextending laterally from said second support means.
 4. In a tentstructure, a support frame comprising: a. first tubular support meansfor supporting a portion of the tent; b. second tubular support meansfor elevating said first support means above the ground, one of saidfirst and second support means including a straight terminal portion andan intermediate curved portion connecting said straight terminal portionto the remainder of said one support means; c. hinge means pivotallyconnecting said straight terminal portion of said one support means witha terminal end of the other of said first and second support means; andd. a sleeve slidably mounted on said other of said first and secondsupport means for movement from a first position offset from said hingemeans to a second position overlying said hinge means to lock the latteragainst pivoting when said straight terminal portion of said one supportmeans and said other support means are coaxial.
 5. The structure ofclaim 4, further comprising means for engaging said sleeve when saidsleeve is in said second position, to hold said sleeve in said secondposition.
 6. A camping shelter comprising: a. a housing member formedfrom comparatively rigid material, said housing member including a topwall and downwardly depending side and end walls; b. a plurality ofsupport pole means pivotally carried by said housing member forsupporting said housing member in a position elevated from the ground,said support pole means being movable between a first storage positionwithin the confines of said housing member to a second erected positionwherein said support pole means are operative to elevate and supportsaid housing member above the ground; c. eave pole means having hingesconnected to each of said support pole means, said eave pole means beingpivotable between a storage position adjacent said support Pole meansand an erected position extending laterally from said support pole meansand upwardly away from said hinges; and d. fabric-like tent materialsecured to said housing and held in deployment by said support and eavepole means whereby said housing member and said tent material form theroof and walls of the erected shelter.
 7. The camping shelter of claim6, wherein said support pole means comprises at least a first pair ofpoles operative, when in the erected position, to elevate and support atleast one side wall of said housing member above the ground, and saideave pole means comprises at least a second pair of poles each of whichis pivotally connected to a respective one of said first pair of poles.8. The camping shelter of claim 7, wherein said eave pole means furthercomprises a third pole having one end pivotally connected to one of saidsecond pair of poles, and its other end pivotally connected to the otherof said second pair of poles.
 9. A camping shelter comprising: a. ahousing member formed from comparatively rigid material and including atop wall and depending side and end walls; b. tenting material connectedto said housing member, said tenting material being foldable into acompact storage condition contained within the confines of said housingmember and deployable therefrom into an erected condition providing sidewalls of the camping shelter; c. a plurality of first poles forelevating and supporting said housing member above the ground, saidfirst poles being pivotally connected to said housing member for pivotalmovement between a storage position within the confines of said housingmember and a housing-supporting position depending downward from saidhousing member; d. a plurality of eave poles for supporting a portion ofsaid tenting material forming side walls of the camping shelter, each ofsaid eave poles being pivotally connected to respective ones of saidfirst poles for pivotal movement between a storage position closelyadjacent to said first poles and an erected position extending laterallyfrom said first poles and said housing member; and e. a plurality ofthird poles, each having opposite ends pivotally connected to ones of arespective pair of said eave poles, each of said third poles beingconnectable to said tenting material, and each of said third poles beinglaterally movable away from said housing member when said eave poles arepivoted to their respective erected positions whereby lateral movementof said third poles serves to deploy said tenting material laterally ofsaid housing member to expand the volume of the shelter laterally ofsaid housing member.
 10. The camping shelter of claim 9, furthercomprising base means releasably securable to said housing member toclose off the lower portion thereof, said base means including means forreleasably securing said base means to an automobile roof rack.
 11. Thecamping shelter of claim 9, wherein said housing member side walls areprovided with a door movable between a first position substantiallycoplanar with said side walls and a second position offset from saidside walls to expose said poles in their respective storage positions.12. A camping shelter adapted to be transported on the roof of a car,said camping shelter comprising: a. a housing member formed fromcomparatively rigid material, said housing member including a top walland downwardly depending side and end walls; b. sliding means carried bysaid housing member, said sliding means being extensible to an erectingposition extending laterally beyond said housing member side walls andthe side of the car, and retractable to a storage position within theconfines of said housing member; c. a plurality of support pole meansfor supporting said housing member in a position elevated from theground and the roof of the car; d. hinge means for pivotally connectingsaid support pole means to said sliding means whereby said sliding meansis opErable to enable said support pole means to be moved from a storageposition within the confines of said housing member to an erectingposition laterally beyond said housing member side walls and the sidesof the car, and said hinge means enabling said support pole means to bepivoted to a housing-supporting position; e. means engaging said hingemeans to lock the latter when said support pole means are in thehousing-supporting position; f. eave pole means comprising pairs of eavepoles pivotally mounted on respective pairs of said support poles andeave cross poles having their opposite ends pivotally connected to onesof respective pairs of said eave poles, said pairs of eave poles beingpivotable between a storage position closely adjacent to said supportpoles and an erected position extending laterally away from said supportpoles; and g. fabric-like tent material secured to said housing and heldin deployment by being attached at least to said eave cross poleswhereby said housing member and said tent material form the roof andwalls of the erected shelter.